Album releases tend to fit into a certain mold. They usually involve getting together with a band’s friends and playing all the new stuff off of that album. Although in this case, circumstances changed that. We found ourselves with an entire locals showcase to celebrate the new Authority Zero album. This night there was a familiar cast in front of them with Torn at the Seam, Nomada, Madd Dog Tannen, and Good Boy Daisy. This genre spreading cast did a superb job to lead up to one of my favorite…

After a full day of Warped Tour, would you go on to do two days of two shows? Some people may say no. For me, the answer is a yes. This may be how I earned the nickname that spawned this site. Although with it being a Saturday, I got a full night’s rest. I would start over at the Marquee Theatre and end my music adventure between three spaces in the Yucca Tap Room center. Up first was the big reason I was at the Marquee, to watch the…

“Broadcasting to the Nations” marks the six album release from Authority Zero on a label. Including prior independent releases that puts the notch up to eight. This marks nearly two decades of music from one of the few punk bands to come out of Phoenix with a following across the world. This release show brought one of my favorite punk bands, Guttermouth, to town alongside four local openers with more of a reggae and rock leaning. The first of the night’s lineup was Howard Til Midnight. These guys were the…

Not every show can be described as partying. The party aspect is dictated more by the personalities and the music. This early week show leans heavily on the party with a few dozen new acquaintances and friends’ aspect. From that alone, there is a great enticement to attend a Piñata Protest show. The lineup was the same as the last time they performed at Yucca, and continue to be great choices to be part of this party. First band and change of the night were Whiskey and the Barrels opening…

Punk rock is a mentality that can be infused into anything. The guys in Piñata Protest are a group that demonstrates this. This band is a high energy infusion of Latin influences, like cumbia, into punk rock. Hopefully if there are people unaware of how awesome they are or that they are punk, this piece of writing about the show at Yucca will bring some people to go check them out next time they are in town. The show itself was an assortment of punk, kicking off with Andy Warpig’s…

Whenever friends and music come together for a cause, you can always expect excellence. My friend Angela, had an accident earlier in the year that created a domino effect of multiple nodules by her thyroids. It was deemed not to be cancer, but she has been in pain from it and surgery was a must to stop any more from forming. So long story short, a bunch of awesome local bands got together to help out and successfully raise money for her. Off the bat, I saw a local band…

If there’s a hard punk band from L.A. that I don’t miss when they visit, that is the guys in Eken is Dead. I descended onto the Rogue Bar the first time in a couple months for this one, near the Southern border of Scottsdale. The other awesome thing about Eken is Dead shows in Phoenix is that it brings out a lot of friends so a great setting to catch music. My reward for getting there in time for the opening band was I was greeted with the…